Vegan Baking

Some of us may remember chia seeds from the ch-ch-chia pet commercials in the 80's. Well they're back! It turns out that ch-ch-chia can b-b-bind. They work similarly to flax seeds in that when ground, the mixture gets goopy and pulls together when heated. Perfect for binding things like cakes, cookies or anywhere else you would want to substitute an egg. Like flax seeds they also contain protein, fiber and are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Just be sure to use white chia seeds. The darker varieties will be visible in your finished product. White chia seeds can be found online if they're not available at your local health food store.

Bananas work great as a binder due to their natural 'goopyness'.  Keep in mind that whatever you put bananas in will undoubtedly turn into 'banana'-'whatever-the-name-of-your-recipe-is'.  This can be great for things like cakes, pancakes and sweet breads but awkward in things where you're not going for the whole banana thing.  Banana's aren't as powerful binders as Eggless Binder Powder or Flax Binder but they're more powerful than yogurt.

Yogurt Binder isn't actually a binder that's on par with eggs. It's about as effective as um, yogurt for binding in recipes which isn't much but it works great in things where you don't need lots of binding power. Examples are cakes, waffles and pancakes. It won't help you get things very dense and chewy but it's great for holding in moisture and adding flavor complexity at the same time.

Flax seeds contain magical 'goopifying' properties that are perfect for vegan baking. Be sure to use golden flax seeds which are the light colored ones. Brown flax seeds will impart more color in your baked item which is usually undesirable. Flax Binder has a slight mealy flavor that's usually not prominent enough to stand out in most baked items. Flax seeds also contain protein, fiber and are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which makes this binder a healthy alternative to other eggless binders.

Omitting the almighty egg in recipes can lead to serious baking disasters.  It's rumored that the Romans put eggs in their concrete to improve it's strength. Eggless Binder Powder is a very effective binding agent that's great for replacing eggs in most baking recipes where heat is involved.  It's an important piece of weaponry in your vegan baking arsenal.